my birthday week

we are home from our busy trip last week... we had a great time, but i think it will take me two weeks to catch up on sleep, laundry, and blogging! and there's only an hour left in june. so i thought i'd better share about my june birthday while it's still actually june!

this year was the big 3-0. and my loved ones gave me a great birthday week. it all started on monday night at bible study. i am kind of the default dessert girl for bible study, and that week, i'd brought a standard pan of brownies. after dinner, the kids walked into the room singing "happy birthday" with my brownies decorated with icing. i was so surprised! and i was especially obnoxious and thanked them over and over for making my birthday brownies. :)

then on tuesday, i showed up to heather's for our girls' night to make hairbows... well, a big bouquet of balloons was there to greet me, and kristie made more birthday brownies! jen said that i could either make hairbows or that she would give me a pedicure.... what would you choose!?? as you can see, i went with the pedicure... and what a treat that was! thank you, girls, for a wonderful night of girl talk and laughter. you are such a blessing to me.

my actual birthday was a pretty busy day. after ladies' bible study, the kids and i had lunch with angela and most of her kids. i began babysitting for angela's twins when i was 11 years old. i ran down the street every day after school to help with kali and audrey. their mimi and i would babysit on the weekends, and eventually, i was old enough to keep them on my own. kali and audrey welcomed three more sisters and a brother over the next several years, and i have so many wonderful memories of watching these sweet kids grow up. well, this year, audrey and kali graduated from high school. (sigh.) i remember the day they were born. and now they are almost 19. i am so SO proud of the women that God is making them to be. we got together to have a little birthday/graduation celebration at a local deli. grace and mary beth had to work (somebody's gotta keep chick-fil-a goin'!), but the rest of the gang came. here are kali and audrey, the graduates, with me, the old thirty year old. :)


here are ginny, kali, and audrey with caroline. the girls that i used to babysit are now old enough to babysit my children. that'll make a girl feel old!


and sweet zac loved holding amelia. that was fine with caroline because if he was holding the baby, zac couldn't steal her chips. :)



after a quick nap following our late lunch, we headed out with my grandmother to continue my birthday celebration. i chose carrabba's for my birthday dinner.... mmmmm... my mouth is watering just thinking about that steak marsala! i love this picture of my grandma with amelia. we are so blessed to see my grandma often.


and brian was so sweet to handle the kids during dinner so that i could relax on my birthday... what a caring husband i have!


when we were finally stuffed from a delicious birthday dinner (complete with chocolate dream for dessert-- a perfect name!), the kids went right to bed and brian and i got to work. we had lots of baking to do to get ready for my birthday party the next night. more to come from my party, but here is a little peek...


caroline is in full-swing party mode these days. it only takes a few birthday parties to fill this child's mind with cupcakes and candles. (hmmm, i don't know where she gets her love of cupcakes!) i shot this video a week before my birthday and a week after i flossed play-doh out of her teeth. so it's good to know that she wasn't planning on eating it this time...


stay tuned for more party fun!